As Quidditch Season Ends
by Ethell
Summary: Every year brings a Quidditch final, and everything that comes with it. For Wood, it's usually depression, despair, uncertainty...and hope? Is there hope for the Gryffindors? Will Oliver ever win? A KBOW fic!


So I've been reading stories on for a while now, and I've always wanted to write some. Behold, here begins my career as an author!

In fact I got the idea for this fic when I was craving for KBOW fluff. I was rereading (for the hundredth time) old stories when I stumbled upon The First Day of Classes, and I thought, hey, what a good idea, seeing the evolution of their relationship with a 1-year gap in between. So really, I have to give a lot of credit to metro.max for this.

Disclaimer: No, alas, I do not own this incredible universe that is Harry Potter…

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Prologue

The Gryffindor common room was unusually quiet this night. No laughs were to be heard, no animated conversation, no whispered gossip were exchanged. Even the Weasley twins, renowned for their unending exuberant and loud behavior, were sitting by the fireplace in silence, looking quite depressed.

It was not a good day to be a Gryffindor.

Their Quidditch team had been mercilessly crushed this afternoon during the final match of the season. But that was not all. They had been slaughtered, had God no mercy, by the Slytherins, which would only stop boasting about it in about fifty years or so. No, it really was not a good day for the Gryffindors…

Amongst the depressed faces was to be found one looking even more miserable. Sitting by the window, alone, the boy looked ready to go drown himself in the lake. Known as the Quidditch Freak (and yes, it required capitalization), Oliver Wood, fourth year, was indeed wallowing in self-pity. He had tried, he really had. He had stopped all the goals he could, but he was the keeper, no more. He could not score goals with the chasers. He could not look for the snitch. He could not, with his willpower only, make them win a game they so blatantly deserved to loose. They had really played awfully bad. He, as the captain, had failed. He would be remembered as the one who had led Gryffindor to its most pathetic loss since a hundred years.

But all hope was not lost, he tried to convince himself. Craig, the not-so-skilled seeker, would not be there next year. Neither would be Sean, the lazy chaser. Maybe next year he could bring this team back on the right track.

He would need to find an incredible seeker, however. It had been a long time since the team had had a skilled one. Not since Charlie Weasley… He had played with him in his second year, and he still remembered the fantastic moves he could execute He remembered how he always made them win… He really could have been a professional, but he had gone to work with the dragons. Such talent wasted…

Those were the thoughts of Oliver when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Looking up, he saw what had hit him: a girl, first-year, blonde, with a smirk on her face. Now, don't get him wrong, he was usually very kind to younger people, but right now, he was just not in the mood

"What do you want?"

"Well you seemed pretty much depressed just now, all alone. So I thought I'd just come here and cheer you up."

"Thank you very much for your kind intentions, Bell, but I would much prefer that you leave me the hell alone, if you don't mind" retorted Wood, sourly.

"Actually, I do mind" said Bell, and with that, she sat down besides him.

Wood rolled his eyes. This girl was getting way too much influenced by her friends… Indeed, Katie Bell, although being a year younger than them, was always to be found hanging with the twins, their friend Lee and the girls, Angelina and Alicia. As three of them were his teammates, Wood spent a good deal of time with them, and had consequentially met Katie. He'd had quite a few conversations with her, only to be (though he would never admit it to anybody) quite impressed by the girl. She was strong, had a sharp mind, a sarcastic tongue, and an invariably optimistic personality.

But really, now was not the time.

"Bell, as much as I usually appreciate your presence", said Oliver, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I really think this is a bad time."

"Ah but Wood, you see, it is exactly the time. I am here to save you from your wretched thoughts. I am here to tell you that there really is no need to be in such a state of depression. You see, once you have heard what I have to say, you will never wallow in self-pity again."

Now Oliver was curious. Ignoring her last comment (He certainly did not wallow in self-pity! He only… reflected… on the happenings of the day.), he looked at her with eyebrows raised, urging her to go on.

"You see, Wood, one fact is clear from today: you need a better team. One that will be able to score goals and to keep possession of the Quaffle. Now, as much as I respect Angelina as a player, I don't think she could have done much with those two useless bums as chasers. They really were pathetic"

"I know that! There's no need to rub it in! I don't -"

Katie raised her hand, stopping him.

"I am not done talking! As I said, you need new players. You need to rebuild your team. And I am happy to tell you that with the one you'll have next year, there is no way Gryffindor will lose!"

Oliver narrowed his eyes, suspicious.

"And why is that?"

"For one simple reason: because I, my friend, will be one of your new chasers. And with me, you have absolutely no chance to lose."

With that, she got up and, without another word, went up the stairs to her dormitory. Oliver looked at her walk away, stupefied. The nerves she had… But he was already looking at her with the eyes of a captain evaluating a player. Yes, she could possibly be good. She had the right build for the position, and she may be able to aim well.

He went back to looking out the windows, but this time a slight smile rested on his lips. Oh, but to be a chaser she would have to make the tryouts. And Merlin knew he would not be soft on her. She wanted the position, or rather, she thought she was _entitled _to the position; well, by Merlin, she'd have to fight for it.

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A.N. Right, so not much fluff in this chapter, but it will come, I promise. I mean, Katie is only twelve here, give her time to grow up… 


End file.
